The perfect home for a narrow urban lot

Travel to the pleasant neighborhood of Dulwich in the Southwark borough of London, where a newly built home stands as proof that a spacious, accessible home is achievable regardless of dimensions. This home stands on a narrow plot between two closely situated neighboring homes, but there’s nothing squished at all about this design. A self-build project, the architects from Nic Antony Architects LTD guided their client through the entire project.

With an interior layout that creates easy transitions from room to room—including from the interior of the room to the outdoor patio—this home offers a hassle-free living space with a high degree of mobility and usability. Throughout, light colours and smooth materials work to reflect light around the rooms; although surrounded by a tall wooden fence, the home’s abundance of natural light and open space vanquish the sensation of being enclosed.

​Exterior

New Build House, London

At first glance, a sharply angled roof indicates the contemporary nature of the home’s overall aesthetic, establishing a theme of crisp edges and straight lines. Narrow bricks of grey stone take on a serious, high-quality demeanor that effortlessly grounds the home to the Earth, while a friendly patio offers up a nice spot for a picnic on summer days. See how this patio transforms, below:

​Open patio

New Build House, London

On pleasant days, the patio doors—spanning almost the entire width of the building—can employ their folding design to slide aside, allowing a fresh breeze to enter the dining room. This room sits inside the threshold and is easily converted into a hybrid indoor-outdoor space with the inclusion of these wide folding doors. Instead of compartmentalizing the home, this design works to take advantage of the square footage of the entire plot, using outdoor space to increase the feeling of spaciousness and openness within the home.

Contemporary design

New Build House, London

This foyer and living room area employ an open design that does away with large built-in furniture, doors, and other features that serve to fill up and compartmentalize a room. The rich blend of textures seen in the cut stone, plush pillows, polished wood, and smooth leather place this room in a contemporary context, with a palette of neutrals creating an open stage for a variety of home activities.

​Breakfast bar

New Build House, London

Along one side of the home, an elongated kitchen uses a linear arrangement to streamline activities. The kitchen begins here with a breakfast bar characterized by rounded edges that communicate a retro style influence. Polished wooden floors are interrupted by a strip of shiny silver trim as it wraps around the base of the breakfast bar, an unexpected detail that adds high energy and crisp polish to the space.

Linear kitchen

New Build House, London

This kitchen’s design stands in harmony with the overall shape of the home, utilizing a linear layout that maximizes mobility whether using or passing through the space. White surfaces take on a seamless look, fusing with the white walls that surround them; this designs permits light to reflect effortlessly across their smooth, bright surfaces.